


The Never Ending Games That You Play

by Elorianna



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets, Milex - Fandom
Genre: First Time, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 04:05:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17175542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elorianna/pseuds/Elorianna
Summary: Alex likes to tease Miles during their live shows with his outrageously flirtatious behaviour. It's a game to see just how far Alex can push his luck before Miles either laughs or becomes embarrassed. But at their Coachella gig his teasing goes a bit too far, and Miles doesn't react in quite the way that Alex expects...





	The Never Ending Games That You Play

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one shot fic based on the Last Shadow Puppets performance in this [Youtube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVgLbu24VDY) and on this [gif image](https://data.whicdn.com/images/251085209/original.gif) from the same performance. 
> 
> The story is my headcanon of what happened next. 
> 
> My vision of Alex's and Miles's relationship was also inspired by the music and atmosphere in this beautiful Milex [video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaZtcdo0l5U)
> 
> I realise I'm pretty late to the Milex party as I only just discovered and fell in love with The Last Shadow Puppets' music, but hopefully some people out there are still shipping Milex and will enjoy this fic. 
> 
> This is the first fanfiction that I have ever written, and although I write other things, I have never written anything like this before. I have certainly never written any love scenes before and I've never posted anything to AO3 either. Any feedback or comments that anyone can give me would be worth more than gold, as I'm pretty nervous about sharing this! Thank you :)

It happened during the Coachella gig.

They were performing Standing Next to Me, just as they’d done countless times before during the tour. They were stood close to one another, singing the lyrics into the same microphone.

_As desire passes through_  
_And you’re open to the truth…_

It had been Alex’s idea to start singing the song in that strange, intimate way. He had wanted to tease the fans, particularly those of them who liked to imagine that he and Miles were in a romantic relationship together. He’d pitched the idea to Miles at the start of the tour, and Miles had been pretty dubious at first, but as Alex had predicted it had turned out the fans absolutely loved it.

Now, at every show, every time they performed that song, Alex would move closer to Miles until he was standing deep within his friend’s personal space, their faces close, their bodies touching. He would sing into Miles’s microphone while staring deep into his eyes. It drove the fans crazy. The whole thing was crazy. Alex just buzzed off the screams they got whenever they did it, and the more they performed the song like this, the more it had grown into a kind of competition between him and Miles.

As the tour wore on, they had started trying to outdo each other, to see which of them could force the other to break eye contact or move away first. For Alex especially, it was a game. He liked to see how far he could push Miles beyond his comfort zone before Miles would either become embarrassed or start laughing. He would wrap his arms around Miles’s shoulders and lean into him, their noses bumping, their lips almost colliding as they sang the words of the song into each other’s mouths. It was a game that Alex usually won. He could tell the moment that Miles started to feel uncomfortable. Alex would feel him ever so subtly stiffen, and every so often Miles’s eyes would dart briefly away before coming back to rest on Alex’s face. Sometimes a nervous smile would spread across Miles’s lips, and this would drive Alex to flirt even more outrageously and to tease Miles right up until they reached the very end of the song.

Alex loved it, both Miles’s reaction and the whole spectacle of their performance for the fans. He liked the feeling of all those eyes watching them. It gave him a rush, the idea that he and Miles were turning people on with their performance. And the idea that they were turning other people on also turned Alex on a little too, he had to admit it, but it was only because of that feeling of power over the audience, nothing more than that.

On the morning of their Coachella gig, Alex had awoken full of a buzzing excitement about the show later that day. Miles had laughed at him as Alex had paced back and forth, picking up his guitar and then putting it down again, unable to keep still for more than a minute.

And when Alex had finally got on the stage with Miles, it hadn’t taken long before all that restless energy had bubbled over into flirtatious mischief. Alex had teased Miles for the entirety of their set, flirting with him, strutting around him and generally seeing just how far he could push it before Miles cracked up. They hadn’t even got to Standing Next to Me yet, but he could already tell from Miles’s body language that his friend was struggling to hold on to his confident stage persona in the face of Alex’s relentlessly suggestive behaviour.

And now, at last, they had reached the peak moment of their performance. Miles was playing the opening chords of Standing Next to Me and Alex was moving his hips and shaking his tambourine in time with the music. As they came to the instrumental section of the song, Alex tried not to grin with anticipation as Miles crossed the stage and moved towards him, taking up his position on Alex’s left side just as they’d planned in rehearsal. Alex angled his body so that Miles was stood slightly behind him. Then Miles began to sing into the microphone and Alex leaned back into him so that they were cheek to cheek. Miles continued to strum the guitar and they sang the next line of the song in unison.

_I can’t relate to the never ending games that you play…_

It was at this moment that Alex decided to go in for the kill. It was an idea that he’d had at the very beginning of the set, and it was sure to tip Miles over the edge into either embarrassment, laughter, or both.

He darted in, a sudden movement, and he planted a kiss on Miles’s face. But not on the cheek as he had done in previous shows. He pecked Miles right on the lips. Alex almost lost it himself when he saw Miles’s eyes widen and a blush spread across his friend’s face. But Miles was ever the professional and even though he was clearly flustered by the kiss, he covered his embarrassment with a grin and kept right on singing. Alex smiled as the audience screamed its appreciation, and he tried to catch Miles’s eye, thinking to give him a wink. But as their eyes locked, Alex read the look on Miles’s face, and to his surprise it wasn’t a look of either embarrassment or defeat. It was a look of challenge. His expression seemed to say, _oh no, not this time Turner_.

Alex leaned back against Miles and continued to move his hips in a seductive dance as they sang. He felt Miles close the gap between them and as they reached the final part of the song, Miles swung his guitar out and away from him and then pressed himself firmly against Alex’s back. Without the guitar to act as a barrier between them, Alex suddenly felt the heat of Miles’s body. Alex was still wiggling his hips in that seductive way, but now every one of his movements brushed involuntarily against Miles’s crotch. Alex felt a hot blush creep up the back of his neck, but he couldn’t move away. If he moved, that would mean that Miles had won.

They had reached the climax of the song and they would soon break apart, Alex only had to hold out for a few more moments.

_And your love_  
_Is standing next to me_  
_Is standing next to me…_

As they sang the final lines, Miles pressed his face closer and closer, his nose against Alex’s cheek. Alex could feel Miles’s breath coming hot against his mouth, their lips were mere centimetres apart, and still Miles kept pushing himself closer. And then Alex just cracked. He couldn’t help it. He started to smile and his voice stuttered on the lyric as he fought down the urge to laugh. It should have been over then, but as the last chords of the song rang out, Miles let go of the microphone and reached his hand around in front as if to take hold of Alex’s shirt. Alex realised what was about to happen. Miles was going to try to kiss him, and not just a cheeky peck on the lips. Miles was going to try to kiss him for real.

Alex knew when he was beaten. His laughter bubbled up inside him and he began to shake his head. _Okay, okay, you win, stop now_. But Miles didn’t stop, he moved even closer against Alex, and where their bodies touched it suddenly felt as though there was an electric current pulsing between them. And then Alex realised that Miles wasn’t taking no for an answer. Not this time. If Alex didn’t put a stop to this charade himself, in a second he was going to be kissing Miles on live TV in front of the whole audience. He felt a jolt of something like adrenaline and something like fear, and at the last moment he lifted his elbow and gave Miles a gentle shove backwards.

Miles’s face split open in a grin of triumph, and he gave Alex a playful push as the two of them finally broke apart. The audience screamed with pleasure. Alex could feel his heart beating at about 200 miles a minute and he sucked in a deep breath to try to calm himself.

The audience was shouting and cheering. Miles grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled him back into the centre of the stage and together they took a bow. People were screaming both of their names. They bowed again, and then Miles let go of Alex’s hand and slung his arm casually around Alex’s shoulders. They turned and walked off stage.

Alex’s breath came out in a rush as soon as they were away from the bright stage lights. He was still shivering slightly with adrenaline and it would be hours before he came back down, but even so he could feel himself beginning to relax now that they were finally out of sight of the fans.

It was then that he felt Miles’s fingers brush against the back of his neck. He turned round to face his friend and almost recoiled at the look in Miles’s eyes. It was that same expression of challenge that Miles had worn on stage. It was almost as if they were still right in the middle of their performance. Miles planted his hand firmly in the centre of Alex’s chest and gently pushed until Alex began to walk backwards. His eyes never left Alex’s face.

“You cheeky little fucker,” he said.

Alex grinned at him. “Don’t act like you don’t love it,” he said.

“I never said that,” said Miles.

Alex was still stepping backwards as Miles pushed him, but he stopped abruptly as his back collided with a wall. They were stood in a dim corner of the backstage area, partially obscured from sight by a pile of spare sound and lighting equipment.

Miles was still staring at him and Alex felt his stomach flip a little bit at the intensity of the look in Miles’s eyes. “What’s up then, Miles?” he said.

“You shouldn’t start things that you aren’t prepared to finish, Mr Turner,” said Miles.

Alex felt his eyebrows shoot up. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” said Miles. And then without warning he moved right into Alex’s personal space, just like he’d done when they were on stage. He grabbed the back of Alex’s neck with his right hand and threaded his fingers into Alex’s hair. He brought their faces close together and Alex’s heart nearly jolted out of his chest.

“Miles… what…”

“You kissed me,” said Miles. “You can’t just kiss me and then expect me to do nothing, to feel nothing.” He brought his other hand up and gripped Alex by the hip, his fingers pressing firmly into the tight material of Alex’s trousers.

Alex choked down a gasp at the shock of feeling Miles’s hand moving down to cup his ass. “Miles, what the hell…”

“Don’t play with me, Turner. I know you want this. You’ve always wanted this.”

“It was just a joke, Miles. I told you. You know the fans love it. I just don’t… I don’t feel that way. You know I’m straight, man.”

Miles laughed. “You keep telling yourself that, but I see the way you look at me when we’re on stage. I’m not an idiot. But you pushed it too far this time, Alex.”

And then Miles ducked his head and pressed his lips to Alex’s neck. Alex felt Miles’s tongue flicker across the skin just below his jaw. He felt the soft warmth of it and a shudder ran through his whole body, all the way from his groin up to his chest. He suddenly felt too hot. His skin began to sweat and he felt tight all over. And then Miles was sinking his teeth into the exposed flesh just above his collarbone and to his horror he felt himself involuntarily arching his back, exposing his throat and pressing himself into the touch of Miles’s tongue.

“Shit…” he said. “Miles, please…”

Miles drew back and looked at him, and his eyes were dark and hungry. “Please what?” he said.

Alex looked at Miles and felt himself caught somewhere between terror and desire. This was _Miles_ , for fuck’s sake. His best friend for ten years. They were close, they’d always been close and the intensity of their bond had been clear to everyone, especially to the media. As they’d become more well-known, at every interview they had faced more and more insinuating questions and suggestive remarks as to whether or not their relationship was entirely platonic. It had given them greater publicity for their music and so they had played up to it. It had been a joke that they shared, laughing about it to themselves away from the eyes of the cameras. It was harmless, just a bit of fun.

Alex had never really stopped to think what the consequences might be of pretending for show after show that they were attracted to each other. It was an act that had become so familiar to them that it had begun to feel natural. It felt normal now to inhabit each other’s space, to touch each other on the knee during interviews or conversation, for Miles to run his hands through Alex’s long hair or for him to slap Alex playfully on the backside as he walked past. The boundaries of what was acceptable behaviour between them had shrunk to almost nothing. There was only one real taboo left to break, and that had remained sacred until just ten minutes ago, when Alex had finally bridged that gap and kissed Miles on the lips.

Alex was intensely aware that it was him who had done this, not Miles. It was him who was always egging Miles on, pushing him further and further. _Don’t be scared to touch me on stage_ , he’d said. _Don’t be scared to get proper close to me. Come on Miles, they’ll love it_. And now Alex thought about it, although Miles had sometimes seemed dubious about Alex’s suggestions, he had never actually seemed scared. He wasn’t frightened by Alex’s behaviour on stage, and he certainly wasn’t frightened now. It was Alex who felt frightened as he stared into Miles’s face and saw the unmistakable lust there, and the dark desire in his eyes. It was as though Alex had opened some kind of floodgate in his friend and now he didn’t know how to close it again. And the real question was, did he actually want to close it?

“Alex,” said Miles.

“Yes?” Alex’s voice came out faintly, just a whisper. He was trembling all over.

Miles looked at Alex and his eyes seemed to soften slightly. He took his hand away from Alex’s hip and brought it up to Alex’s face instead. He brushed the backs of his knuckles gently over Alex’s cheek. His other hand was still tangled in Alex’s hair. “Alex,” he said again. “I know you’re scared.”

It was like Miles could read his mind. They had spent so much time together, it was almost impossible now to hide their thoughts and emotions from one another.

Alex felt his breath shuddering in his chest and suddenly all he wanted was to feel safe, to feel comforted. He stepped forward and buried his face in Miles’s neck, tucking both of his arms tight against his body, his hands clasped together beneath his chin, so that he was almost curled up in a ball against Miles’s chest.

He felt Miles’s arms come around him then, holding him in a tight embrace. He breathed into the warm darkness of that space in the crook of Miles’s neck. He could feel Miles’s breath coming hot against his ear and then Miles kissed him gently on the side of his head. “Lean into me, baby,” Miles said. “I’ve got you.”

Alex’s stomach fluttered at the term of endearment, _baby_. Miles rarely ever called him that, but he suddenly realised how much it turned him on. His heart began to beat faster again and he was intensely aware of how warm Miles’s body felt against his.

“Miles…” he said.

Miles pulled back and looked at Alex. Without speaking, he placed both of his hands gently on either side of Alex’s face. Alex’s breath caught in his throat as Miles pulled him closer, but Miles didn’t kiss him. He just held Alex there, his nose brushing lightly against Alex’s cheek. They stood still, watching each other, breathing each other’s air. Alex began to shiver. His skin was tingling all over. His legs felt weak. He ran his tongue nervously over his lips and he heard Miles inhale sharply.

“Miles…” he said again. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. It was an invitation.

He felt Miles shudder against him, and he closed his eyes. And then Miles’s lips were pressed against his own. They were soft and warm and tasted faintly of alcohol. He parted his lips ever so slightly and in a moment he felt Miles’s tongue in his mouth, hot and wet. Alex suddenly felt as if he was floating. When Miles pushed him back against the wall, he didn’t resist. Both of Miles’s hands were buried in his hair and Alex found his own hands wandering down to grip Miles by the ass. He pulled Miles sharply forwards and then thrust into him. Miles groaned into Alex’s mouth and suddenly Alex felt dizzy with desire. He deepened the kiss, biting at Miles’s lips. He gasped as Miles began to make slow thrusts against him.

“Oh god… Alex…” Miles muttered. He broke their kiss and went for Alex’s neck again, alternately kissing and nipping at the skin there. Alex cried out softly, he couldn’t help it. In response, Miles began to thrust against him even harder. And then, before Alex even knew what was happening, he felt himself lifted bodily from the ground and he instinctively wrapped both of his legs tight around Miles’s waist. Now the friction between them was almost unbearable. Alex found himself whimpering every time Miles ground against him, and the sound seemed to be driving Miles crazy. He thrust his hips against Alex more and more desperately. “Jesus… Alex… fuck…”

“Miles…” Alex panted. “Miles… put me down.”

Miles obeyed at once and stood back for a moment, breathing heavily. Alex went for Miles’s belt and almost laughed when he saw his friend’s eyes grow wide in response. He undid the belt, and then tugged it free and tossed it to the ground in a single movement. He undid the zip of Miles’s trousers and reached inside Miles’s shorts. His fingers closed over Miles’s cock, which was hard as a rock, and at Alex’s touch Miles almost collapsed against him, moaning into Alex’s shoulder. Alex began to pump his hand slowly up and down and Miles shuddered against him uncontrollably.

Then Alex felt Miles’s hands at his own belt, and a sudden jolt of terror shot through him and for a moment he froze, as if he had suddenly realised what they were doing.

“Miles… wait… I’m not sure…”

His words were cut off as he found Miles’s tongue in his mouth again, and then he felt Miles’s hand on his cock and stars exploded behind his eyes, and now he was sure, yes he was sure, he never wanted Miles to stop. He moaned aloud and began to pump his own hand again, and then they were both panting into each other’s open mouths, unable to even kiss any more as they buckled under wave after wave of pleasure and desire. Alex could feel it building and building in him, and his body was so weak that he could barely stand upright. He felt himself being wound tighter and tighter and the feeling was surging, tingling all the way up his legs until it reached his pelvis and it was like a white heat pulling him rigid, stretching him taut, until he just couldn’t take it any longer.

“Oh fuck, Miles, please… oh Christ… don’t stop…”

Alex arched his back and felt Miles cry out against his neck and then suddenly his whole body was exploding with light and everything went black at the edges. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, there was nothing but friction, the heat of Miles’s hand on his cock and ecstasy pulsing throughout his entire body and it seemed like it would never end. He heard himself moaning aloud, and he heard Miles saying his name over and over. “Alex, Alex… oh god…”

When his vision cleared, he was drenched in sweat and Miles was leaning heavily against him, panting hard against his neck. His hand was damp, still wrapped tightly around Miles’s cock. He gently let go and Miles groaned quietly, which sent another shiver shooting through him.

“Miles…” he said softly.

Miles lifted his head and looked at Alex, his brown eyes wide, his hair sticking damply to his forehead. “Alex,” he said. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” And he drove his hand into the sweaty tangle of Alex’s hair and kissed him, and kissed him, until Alex grew short of breath again. And then Alex buried his face in Miles’s neck and they just stood there, breathing each other in, their hearts beating in unison.

In the distance, Alex could hear the next band beginning their set on the stage, the shouts of the audience. Drums, guitars, voices. But it was all so far away. Close to him, he felt Miles’s warm breath against his ear, and the beat of his friend’s heart was like the echo of a song against his chest.

_And your love_  
_Is standing next to me_  
_Standing next to me._


End file.
